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Original poster

Amber teething necklace, good or not?

34 replies

waffles1 · 26/12/2011 20:45

DS is 7.5 months and has been teething on and off for around 3 months. Has cut bottom 2 teeth and it appears that the top two are on their way however teething is making him so uncomfortable and miserable. Constantly chewing, dribbling and rubbing his face. Very grizzly and clingy plus waking lots in the night :-(
Amber teething beads have been recommended and i wondered what other mn's thought of them? I always give calpol on bad days but am looking for anything else that helps, any suggestions?
Also once the top 2 cut is there some rest for a while or do the incisors generally appear quickly after?

OP posts:

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gamerwidow · 26/12/2011 20:50

I think amber teething necklaces are ridiculous nonsense (sorry). There is no possible way for them to have any effect other than placebo.

I found ibuprofen based medicine better than calpol because it reduces the swelling in the gums as well as acting as a painkiller.

It is hard work when they are teething and it can sometimes seem to go on for months so you do have my sympathies.

My DD had a few months rest after her top 2 cut and then her back teeth appeared at top and bottom along with her incisors within weeks of each other. Hope he gets some relief soon.

RitaMorgan · 26/12/2011 20:54

Depends if you believe in magic really. They don't work in any physical/scientific sense - but if you're the kind of person who likes crystals/energy fields/homeopathy then it might be your kind of thing.

naturalbaby · 26/12/2011 20:57

they worked wonders on ds2, not doing so much with ds3.
it's worth a try.
the teething powders have helped all my babies when teething - nelsons and ashton & parsons.

their teeth have come out in a funny order and very late so not sure about the order or timescale but once the teeth started appearing they seemed to get a few quite close together.

Jokat · 26/12/2011 20:57

Hi, I believe amber necklaces work for some and not for others, that's the feedback I've come across. Definitely worth a try in my opinion. Didn't know about them with dd1, will give it a go with dd2. What did seem to work for dd1 was the root of a violet that she loved chewing on. You can find them online I'm sure, they are a common remedy in Germany where I've got ours from. The root is treated, completely clean and looks a bit like a bit of off-white clay. It feels solid but bears a certain degree of elasticity. It comes on a short piece of string so you can attach it to a dummy chain. Chewing on it is soothing and the root has inflammation-reducing properties.

5318hoho8 · 26/12/2011 21:05

The thing with Amber is if you believe it contains enough blah blah analgesic chemical to enter bloodstream VIA skin contact then you are giving your baby an untested unregulated drug.

Plus obvious choke hazard

Sorry to be a downer. Teething sucks, calpol helps

RitaMorgan · 26/12/2011 21:33

Amber needs to be heated to 200c to release the oil anyway - so unless you have a very hot baby...

hubbahubster · 26/12/2011 21:47

I was VERY sceptical but thought for the sake of a tenner I'd try it. And if it didn't work, hey, I'd have a pretty bracelet. As previous poster said, they claim to work through an analgesic having contact with the skin rather than any magic healing aura or whatever, so that seemed more plausible to me than hippie crystal nonsense.

DS wore his for a couple of weeks, didn't notice a radical change. Left it off for a bit and boy did he get grumpy! Teething symptoms much worse. Back on it went and we've had no trouble since. He's cut his first tooth with no visible discomfort, just plenty of drooling.

Obviously this is just my experience but I honestly think there's something in it - the necklace needs to be worn for a while to get the full effect, it seems. As for choking hazard, the necklace is nowhere long enough for DS to get into his mouth and each bead is knotted, so if it breaks they won't all come loose. He never wears it unsupervised, ie in bed, either. Just buy from a reputable source rather than eBay as necklaces could be made of anything otherwise.

RitaMorgan · 26/12/2011 22:08

Have you ever rubbed some amber and felt oil come out? No, or course not - the magic oil is no less silly than the magic aura (unless your child's skin is heated to 200c of course).

HamblesHandbag · 26/12/2011 22:14

teething comes and goes in cycles. so you can hold baby next to a crystal/cat/pencil/whatever and the pain will subside eventually. and then come back at some point.

ibuprofen is a proven pain reliever for inflammation. and sometimes nothing will touch baby grumps and that's just how it is.

and IMHO giving babies beads is a choking hazard that I would not be comfortable with.

hubbahubster · 27/12/2011 21:22

Patronising, much? IME the necklace certainly hasn't done any harm and I'd rather not give my baby four-hourly doses of painkiller into his delicate tummy when he's barely on solids.

I'm not a scientist but neither am I some clueless believer in 'magic oil'. The OP asked for personal experiences and I was stating mine. Wheeeeeeesh...

RitaMorgan · 27/12/2011 21:46

You do believe in the magic oil though

seeker · 27/12/2011 21:51

"I'm not a scientist but neither am I some clueless believer in 'magic oil'. The OP asked for personal experiences and I was stating mine. Wheeeeeeesh..."

But if you think it works then you do believe in"magic oil"

sprinkles77 · 27/12/2011 21:59

complete and utter bullshit. They don't work and are dangerous.

Read [http://www.cap.je/Home/News/Teething-amber-necklace-risks/ this]

The beads are a choking hazard, the string is a strangulation risk. Under what other circumstances would you subject your child to this? If your child is in pain, treat it with medication that is proven to help and to not be dangerous. Calpol? Nurafen? Something safe to chew on? Yes, I agree, ibuprofen is harsh on the tummy, and should really be given after a solid meal, but calpol and teething rings are fine.

something else to consider...many parents think teething causes fever. so their teething child has a fever and they control the fever with calpol or whatever, baby gets better, all is fine. The parents don't realise it, but their child had a genuine illness and they have managed it well. If you decide to treat the baby's fever with a necklace, the fever will not go and the baby could be very very very ill. A small number of children die each year because their parents think their fever is due to teething and therefore not important. The only thing teeth causes is teeth, and perhaps some oral pain. Anyone been to a dentist and been told to wear a necklace?

sprinkles77 · 27/12/2011 22:00

bollocks. link here

sprinkles77 · 27/12/2011 22:01

oh, as to timing of eruption, hugely variable, as is the order.

hubbahubster · 28/12/2011 06:44

I don't believe in 'magic oil', like I said I thought it couldn't do any harm, it hasn't, and actually whether it's coincidence or not his teething has been better since he's been wearing it. No one knows why sleeping with baby in the room up to six months helps prevent cot death, but it does so people do it. And the necklace doesn't mean I would ever ignore fever symptoms.

Didn't expect to get flamed for something so simple as a flipping amber necklace!

kreechergotstuckupthechimney · 28/12/2011 06:56

ha ha ha.
OP, I've some magic beans for sale if you are interested. PM me.

seeker · 28/12/2011 08:13

There are loads of perfectly sensible theories about why sharing a room with a small baby helps to prevent cot death.

The only theory put forward for amber being a pain killer is that it gives off analgesic oil. Which it doesn't.

So two completely different things.

Jokat · 28/12/2011 10:06

I am quite shocked that some mums on here make the assumption that other mums who are keen to treat certain problems with as natural a remedy as possible would be so irresponsible as to not treat a fever appropriately. I'd find that really offensive. As far as I'm aware, amber has been known for its healing properties for a long long time, so people must have seen a positive effect using it for a long long time also. I have never ever heard of a case where a baby choked because it wore an amber necklace. And my children have teethed for months on end, so pumping them full with calpol or neurofen for months on end is the last thing I want to do, I want to reserve this for fevers or significant discomfort that cannot be improved in any other ways.
I'm sure I will now get it in the neck as well but I wanted to let you know hubbahubster that you're not alone in your camp!

seeker · 28/12/2011 10:41

But amber is not a remedy. It is a piece of jewellery.

Jokat · 28/12/2011 11:10

What kind of argument is that?! Amber is sap from trees that's gone hard. People find it pretty so it is also used as jewellery. That doesn't change what it is.

Jokat · 28/12/2011 11:14

sorry, it's fossilized tree resin. That still doesn't change just because some people use it as jewellery.

seeker · 28/12/2011 12:15

I'm just pointing out that's only function is to look pretty- it has no analgesic properties at all.

naturalbaby · 29/12/2011 14:12

there are plenty of parents that swear by them so they 'work' for their babies and they have clasps that break open with a certain amount of pressure so are not a strangulation risk - if they get caught on something the baby pulling away will break the clasp so the necklace won't strangle them.

beads breaking off are obviously a chocking hazard. that issue depends on how well you clean your home and supervise your kids imo.

i don't care if it's just a piece of jewellery or magic, nor do thousands of other mums who use them to avoid filling their kids up with calpol/ibuprofen every few hours.

BoysAreLikeDogs · 29/12/2011 14:40

I don't know any child that would be filled up by 5 ml of calpol or brufen

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